Kids PROGRAM
Kids’ Shōrinji Ryū Karate Class Curriculum (Ages 5-12)
The Martial Arts Academy of Marin is a True Lineage School, where your child will be properly educated in the ways of Karate. Shōrinji Ryū Karate is a complete martial art, comprised of striking, and grappling. These techniques contain practical blocks, evasions, kicks, punches, elbow and knee strikes, stand-up restraints, joint locking, throws, and pins. On top of basic hand-to-hand methods, the system is rounded out by a traditional Okinawan weapons practice called Kobudo. The weapons taught here are the Bo, Sai, and Tonfa.
Our traditional Okinawan style of Karate helps your child to develop confidence, discipline, and respect while learning functional self-defense skills. Our kids program teaches valuable life lessons through structured but fun training sessions that build strong bodies and even stronger minds.
Try out unlimited classes for one week at the Dojo and discover the zen warrior within you. Whether you're looking to build discipline, make new friends, or just try something new, The Academy is a welcoming place to begin. No pressure—just an opportunity to grow, move, and evaluate whether our karate community is the right fit for you or your child.
Mentorship
Sensei Will has remained close to his Sensei since 1987, often seeking his counsel. This proper master-apprentice relationship fills critical gaps in today's institutionalized society. Often, personal mentorship can make all the difference for a child.
Today's youths are growing up in an unparalleled modern society, with boundless opportunity. Yet despite all of the wonderful things modern day living offers, it often presents other unforeseen challenges. As our environment becomes more urban and technologically-oriented, social interaction is often challenged by smart devices and social media. Children have tremendous energy that benefits from being channeled through and out in a healthy and constructive manner. The traditional teachings by the ancient Japanese and Okinawan masters is a great way to assist your child in developing focus, building critical thinking, and practicing social interaction skills.
Character Development & Life Skills
Karate is not just about physicality—martial arts builds internal character traits that will help your child succeed in countless ways. Cultivating a strong sense of self, along with a developed inner landscape, will go a long way.
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Respect, compassion, and gratitude: It all begins with good manners. Most disputes can be avoided or simply dissolved with good manners and proper “martial etiquette”. This is practiced daily at The Martial Arts Academy, where starting and ending with bowing are the first and last steps performed.
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Confidence and self-esteem: Kids gain belief in themselves as they earn belts and master techniques.
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Decision-making skills: Training reinforces the importance of thinking before acting and making responsible choices.
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Resilience to peer pressure: Through disciplined training, children learn to stand by their values and make independent choices.
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Respect and courtesy: Bowing, listening to instructors, and treating peers with kindness are core principles in every class.
Defense & Bully Prevention
One of the most valuable aspects of karate is learning how to handle real-world situations, including:
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Avoiding physical confrontation through awareness and de-escalation.
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Using their voice and body language to show confidence and deter bullies.
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Simple but effective escapes from grabs, holds, and being pushed.
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Helping others: Learning to stand up for those who cannot adequately or responsibly defend themselves.
Mentoring Others
One of the best teaching aids for kids is to pass on what they have learned. Once they advance to a certain point, they will begin mentoring their juniors. They will teach:
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Taking responsibility for what they do and say. To never speak against themselves because words carry power and shape reality.
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That Karate is not only practiced in the Dojo – martial artists practice discipline, manners, and respect daily and give your an opportunity to lead by example.
foundational Skills & Training
Basics
A sound foundation in the basics forms a dependable platform of fighting techniques that will not fail your child under pressure. A simple daily routine teaches them how to move properly with confidence. This will serve them for a lifetime in any endeavor they choose. Simple methods are continuously practiced which set the stage for later development of more coordination and increasingly powerful techniques. Proven over centuries, the ability and strength of the practitioner is always shown through knowledge of the basics, and most importantly, Kata. Many so-called great masters that only specialized in fancy techniques have fallen in combat to those who possess the fundamentals above all and the fighting spirit of Kata.
What Your Child Will Learn
Basic Techniques (Kihon - Foundations of Karate): Children will develop coordination, focus, and motor skills through fundamental karate movements:
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Strikes: Basic punches (straight punch, hammer fist), open-hand strikes (knife-hand, palm strike), and elbow strikes.
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Blocks: Upward block (to protect the head), inside and outside blocks (for deflecting attacks), and low blocks (to defend against kicks).
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Kicks: Front kick (for distance control), roundhouse kick (for agility), side kick (for power and balance), back kick (for rear defense and turning), and knee strikes (for close range)
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Stances: Basic postures that teach proper balance and movement, such as horse stance (strength), front stance (stability), and cat stance (agility).
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Grappling: Standup methods that include countering pushes, joint locks to immobilize opponents, knock downs and throws; Ground methods that include simple and effective pins using knees and low crouching techniques.
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Movement Quality: Focusing on simple, yet high quality movement builds subconscious confidence. This foundation translates like no other into all movement art forms and sports disciplines.
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Governing Philosophy: Integrally taught with Kata are oral stories that are custom in all Karate systems, where kids are taught morality and proper use of force along with de-escalation. These are presented in a way so children learn how to think and problem solve in real-world conditions, using respect, compassion, and gratitude that are hallmark values of our Shorinji-Ryu Tradition.
Kata
Kata, or Form, is essential to understanding Karate as a fully functional and alive art form. They serve as a living database of various principled techniques in their raw form that can be adapted to different combat situations.
Taught properly at The Martial Arts Academy, Kata is fully explained in a way that kids can easily understand and apply. Each technique is learned thoroughly, with the underlying principles of body dynamics, coordination, power generation, movement quality, and proper fighting spirit clearly shown in a step-by-step fashion.
Pinan Kata Series: a progressive set of 5 short movement sets with different themes: striking, grappling, escapes, throws, pins, parries, and blocks. Learn more about Kata.
Bunkai & Kumite
Once learned, they are paired with self-defense applications derived from the Kata known as Bunkai. Next, Bunkai (Fighting Drills derived from Kata moves) are also practiced, in a staged curriculum: first against a cooperative training partner so kids can fully understand the sequence of techniques. Second against a semi-cooperative partner, so they can learn to adapt to changing conditions. Thirdly, they will perform their applications against a non-cooperative partner that fully resists them each step of the way. This staged program is introduced sequentially according to the individual students' level of progress. This time proven method hones their technique into a usable skill set that will benefit even the seasoned martial artist.
Kids Will Learn
Partner Drills & Controlled Sparring (Kumite)
Partner exercises teach children teamwork, timing, and how to apply their skills in a safe environment. They will learn:
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Pre-arranged sparring drills to develop confidence in controlled situations.
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Basic reaction and evasion techniques to avoid conflict safely.
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Light, controlled sparring (with safety gear) to help kids understand self-defense principles while maintaining respect for their training partners.
Mindfulness
A calm and clear mind builds healthy habits like no other. Kids who become compassionate and sure of themselves allows all other healthy habits to take root. Obviously, what you eat plays an important role in one's constitution. Thoughts are also like this, where the quality of our thoughts play a significant role in our relationships, health, and future. They are encouraged to have a healthy self image through imaginative meditation lessons. This is practiced daily at The Martial Arts Academy, during seated meditation, learning to control their breathing, and through moving meditation in the Kata. This creative process fulfills Karate's original charter to become a protector of peace and an artist of life.
